Knockout in Iga Świątek’s match! No one expected such a scenario

It must be admitted that such a scenario and such great dominance on the part of Iga Świątek were difficult to expect. There is no doubt that the Pole is in better and better shape. This is especially true on the courts in Rome, where she seems to be more confident in her tennis from match to match.

This is certainly largely due to changes in the coaching staff. Coach Francisco Roig apparently made the Pole believe again that she could actually consistently achieve her goals. And what is important, do it even in moments when not everything is always going well on the court from A to Z.

In the case of Wednesday’s quarterfinal, however, the script was written for the Pole’s benefit – practically from the first ball. And Jessica Pegula could only shake her head in disbelief. The Pole was beyond the American’s reach and the result shows it best.

WTA 1000 Rome: Great performance by Iga Świątek. The Pole defeated Jessica Pegula!

Interestingly, even a few hours before the start of the match, it was not certain whether the match would take place. Reason? Heavy rainfall hit the capital of Italy.

However, the hosts managed to control the situation enough that after the court cleared out, the arena was reopened to accommodate both players. Although, interestingly, at the beginning of the first set, umbrellas appeared again over the heads of the fans gathered in the stands. Fortunately, these were the last, delicate chords when it comes to rain in Rome – in the case of this American-Polish quarterfinal.

As for the game itself, after less than 10 minutes it was 3-0 for Świątek. After fifteen minutes? 4:0 and a double break in favor of the Pole. Above all, Świątek consistently implemented her plan. Hitting the ball full of rotation, plus great movement on the Roman clay – all this gave Poland a huge advantage on the court.

At times, Pegula couldn’t believe what was happening early Wednesday afternoon in Rome. After 29 minutes of play, Świątek won 6:1 and at times she resembled… the old Iga, on clay courts. Confident and willing to compete as quickly as possible.

Anyone who thought that the script would change in the second installment must have been severely disappointed. Pegula won her first game again with the score being… 0:4 from the server’s perspective. The American won a little more action than in the opening set, but it was little consolation. And for Christmas? The final win – this time 6:2 – gave her the first victory over a rival from the top ten of the WTA rankings in over half a year. On November 1, 2025, the Pole won against Madison Keys during the WTA Finals.

What’s more, Świątek has just guaranteed her first tournament semi-final in the 2026 season. Who will Świątek play for a place in the final in Rome? The rival will be one of the duo Yelena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) – Elina Svitolina (Ukraine). However, one may get the impression that Świątek is ready even for such a top-shelf challenge.